Podarcis liolepis, the Columbretes wall lizard or Catalan wall lizard, is very similar to the other lizards in the genus Podarcis. This species was formerly described as a subspecies of the Iberian wall lizard, but has now been elevated to species status. These are slender lizards with long tails, narrow tapered heads and long thin toes, and stout legs. Colours are variable, although generally grey-brown. Often very subtle spots and stripes along the back and flanks can be seen and these can be more distinguished in the female. The underside is a much lighter cream or beige with sometimes a reddish tint. Adults grow 15–20 cm in length from the nose to tip of the tail. Body length can be a little as one third of the total body length, the tail making up the other two thirds.
This species is one of 28 currently described species of the genus Podarcis. Podarcis liolepis is one of eight species in a monophyletic clade of Iberian and North African wall lizards (Kaliontzopoulou et al., 2011; Yang et al., 2021). The distribution of these species is complex and with several hybrid zones (Caeiro-Dias et al., 2018; Caeiro-Dias et al., 2021; Gaczorek et al., 2023; Pinho et al., 2008). Podarcis liolepis is also found on several islands in the Columbretes archipelago east of the Iberian Peninsula (Böhme, 1986).
The Catalan wall lizard inhabits a range of different habitats, from sea level to >1700 m altitude. The species can be common in urban environments. Lizards can be active all year round, except at high altitude, but breeding is restricted to spring and early summer. The species is oviparous and Meiri et al. (2020) report an average clutch size of 2.80.
The Catalan wall lizard is a relatively small-bodied wall lizard. In continental populations, males range 44.9–65.7 mm in snout-to-vent length (SVL) whereas females range 43.3–61.3 mm in SVL (Carazo et al., 2011; Carretero & Salvador, 2016). Lizards from the Columbretes archipelago are larger with an average SVL of 65.3–68 in males and 61.7-61.9 in females (Castilla & Bauwens, 1991a; Castilla & Bauwens, 1991b). The dorsum of this species is mostly showing a reticulated pattern with brown or green hues on a darker background. As in most species of Podarcis, the sexes differ in appearance with females being generally smaller and showing a pattern that is more dominated by longitudinal stripes. This species is one of several Podarcis that exhibit ventral color polymorphism with yellow, orange/red and white morphs
